Superbrand is an international concept that has been adopted in Zimbabwe since 2009. It seeks to recognise and reward the best brands in the country, with the finest reputation within a specified period of time. It aims to identify brands that are performing above and beyond others within the market. As a result, corporates and the community at large realise real economic value from this noble concept.

A Superbrand offers customers and other stakeholders’ significant emotional and tangible benefits over its competitors, consciously and subconsciously. For a brand to be deemed a Superbrand it requires the consistent management of the company’s values, beliefs and product quality – not just at the head office or factory but wherever a brand touches the consumer. The reputation and credibility of the Superbrand awards lies in its process. Brands undergo a thorough recruitment process by the consumers, followed by consumer rating (through a consumer research) and then an evaluation by the Adjudication team. Only those brands with the highest scores from the consumer research are granted the Superbrand title. The process is audited by a reputable auditing firm, Grant Thornton. There are also adjudicators that oversee the process and these adjudicators are taken from various industry sectors, namely academia, consumer bodies and professional associations.

During the Superbrand Launch 2020 , the chairperson of the Superbrand adjudication committee, Mr Denford Mutashu outlined the Superbrand process as follows:

Superbrand Process

Phase One: Brand Selection

The first stage is the shortlisting of brands which have been mentioned by the consumers. The shortlisting of brands is done through a nationwide top of mind awareness survey, were consumers are first educated on what a Superbrand is. Consumers are then asked to randomly mention companies or brands that they consider to be Superbrands in Zimbabwe. This process is done without prompting the consumer. It is from this process that the brands which are spontaneously mentioned by the consumers, are shortlisted for top 200 brands. After the shortlisting of brands, the Adjudication Committee has a chance to verify the shortlisting process and endorse the top 200 brands for the year.

Phase Two: Unveiling of the 2020 Top 200 brands

The top 200 brands are then unveiled to the public. 

Phase Three: Data Gathering & Analysis

After unveiling the top 200 brands, the next step is to take these brands back to the consumers for rating and ranking, through a representative and nationwide consumer research. The survey is conducted among Zimbabweans aged between 18 and 65 years. A nationally representative sample of 3 000 consumers covering all geographical areas of Zimbabwe is selected irrespective of gender, employment status and income. A stratified random sampling technique that ensures everyone in the selected strata has an equal opportunity of being selected, is used.

The sample of 3 000 respondents is split into two groups which are Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C). These groups have a sample size of 1 500 each and are derived from major areas of Zimbabwe. The sample size is in proportion to the size of the population.

Phase Four: Adjudication of the Results

After the consumer research, the results are presented to the Adjudication Committee for final verification and endorsement. The auditors also present a report to the Adjudication Committee as far as the field research is concerned.

Phase Five: The Superbrand Awards Ceremony

The final results are then presented at the Annual Superbrand Awards ceremony where top business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) brands are given awards. The brands are also further categorized and ranked in their respective sectors were sectorial leaders and their runners-up are also given awards.

Phase Six: The Superbrand Report Publication

After the Awards, a report is published profiling the top two hundred brands (200). Participants can also take up the advertising space in the Superbrand Report. Individual brand reports giving market insights from the market research are also compiled and distributed to participating brands. The individual brand reports contains a wealth of market information that assists in the formulation of strategy.

Other key stakeholders in the Superbrand include the government, media and academia. For the government, it gives an insight on the performance of the economy and influences policy making. It also boosts confidence in public sector performance. For academia, over the years we have realised that the Superbrand Report has been used as a reference point as it gives access to research based information and data.

For more details on the Superbrand process contact [email protected]